Sunday, January 24, 2010

Mugged: Artisan, Medium/Dark [Aduro Bean]

Little nuances in how coffee consumers control their coffee have become interesting trends as of late. Specifically, I speak of the "make your own blend" and "select your roast" trends. While it gives the customer the proverbial steering wheel, I'm curious how customer satisfaction usually ends up panning out (i.e. you might not be happy with what you thought you wanted).

I received some coffee to try out from one such roaster, a Fort Worth coffee roaster called Aduro Bean Micro-Roaster (a roaster I had heard of mind you from the Texas Coffee People). While Aduro sent me their recommended roasts, they normally allow for patrons to select their own roast prior to ordering (Aduro makes their own recommendations of course).

The first coffee I tried out was their Artisan roast, their house blend roasted at their recommended medium/dark level. I sampled it in the usual three methods of drip, french press and siphon.

The french press produced a honey and jersey corn sweetness on the front, plus a bit of grain as well as a harsh bitterness and pepper on the back end. The body was medium and somewhat smooth.

The drip turned out a more subdued cup. Still had the corn and honey-like sweetness and a tinge of whole grain as well. The body was much heavier but also much smoother, as the bitterness and pepper were more confined to the aftertaste.

The siphon still had the same sweetness as well as a similar bitterness and pepper to the french press. Like the drip, there was a fairly heavy body but not as smooth. One unique facet was a guest appearance of grape in the middle of the cup.

Oddly, I wonder now that if I had the option of choosing a medium roast of this same bean that it would have proven a better cup. Only time (or $10.50 + shipping and handling) will tell.

If you're looking for a decent med/dark coffee, try out the Artisan blend of Aduro Bean.

note: coffee was provided free of charge and the above review is objective feedback.

In 1627, the famous English philosopher Francis Bacon wrote down in his book Sylva Sylvarum: "They have in Turkey, a drink called coffa, made of a berry of the same name, as black as soot, and of a strong scent, but not aromatically; which they take, beaten into powder, in water as hot as they can drink it: and they take it, and sit at it in their coffa-houses, which are like our taverns. This drink comforts the brain, and heart, and helps digestion."

The most expensive coffee in the world is called Kopi Luwak. Each bean of this peculiar coffee undergoes a specific and rather bizarre production process. A common palm civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus), commonly referred to as the Toddy Cat, is a small cat-like animal living in Asia. Little Toddy consumes coffee berries which pass through its digestive tract along with insects, small mammals, reptiles and bird eggs and come out practically intact. Who and when came to the idea to take the coffee processed in such manner, roast it and brew it, is still not disclosed but we know that it started off in the Indonesian archipelago and spread to other parts of the world. This coffee is mostly sold in Japan and in the USA at a price from 300 to 1400 dollars per kilogram. Annual production is limited to about 450 kg.

Although Turkish women were banned from entering taverns back in the 15th and 16th century, they largely enjoyed the charms of the black drink. Belief in the aphrodisiac power of coffee was so strong that each Turkish woman had legal right to ask for divorce if her husband failed to provide her with sufficient daily quota of coffee. It is believed that Anglo-Saxon term "grounds for divorce" ('grounds' meaning bean or basis) has its origins from this clause of ancient Turkish law.

In 1964, an American named Todd Simpson patented the first cold-process coffee maker. Very popular nowadays, the Toddy maker produces coffee significantly less acidic than other types of coffee 66% acid from black beans are neutralised.

From 1960 to 1980, when cafes in America gained immense social significance, many Christian churches and religious individuals used them for spreading the Christian word. These were cafes with specific names where, accompanied by spiritual music, You can reed more in www.our-coffee.co.uk